


A Matter of Time

by pinkpines



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Older Pines Twins, pinecest - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 07:20:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6043012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkpines/pseuds/pinkpines
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU, based off the premise of the film TiMER. You don’t need to have seen the movie to get the fic. </p><p>In this AU a new device called a TiMER is invented that predicts with 100% accuracy when you will meet your true love, your soulmate. If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know? Spoiler alert: Mabel really really does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clocks

The moment Dipper first saw a commercial for the TiMER when he was ten, he knew his sister  was going to get one eventually. It was a new device, a display strip on your wrist that promised 100% accuracy in predicting when you were going to meet your soulmate. Once implanted it would count down the number days, hours, minutes, and even seconds until you met “the one”, and it would chime once the counter hit zero and you were face to face with that person.

The commercial featured two beautiful people who just so happen to see each other in the park. The tagline that superimposed itself on their happy faces read, _“TiMER. Take the guesswork out of love.”_

True Love available with a guarantee? Of _course_ Mabel was going to want one.

Mabel was on a constant search for her soul mate, her great love, the kind that was going to last forever. None of those endeavors ever seemed to even come close for his sister. When he was 12 he found her constant search annoying. He didn’t get it, and truthfully he still doesn’t understand what compels her to jump from boyfriend to boyfriend. If nothing else, he supposed the years have helped mellow him out in that regard. Even if he didn’t like it, he’d at least accepted it was a behavioral pattern with Mabel that she just never got around to growing out of, if she would at all.

The device had been around long enough that it was barely a weird thing for people to get one. It was kind of like getting a new smartphone. As the twins got older more and more people they knew got them implanted. Some students at their high school had taken to getting them implanted in pairs. There was even a discount if you came in with someone and got implanted together.

For a while, Dipper thought he had been wrong with his initial prediction. At 16, a few of Mabel’s girlfriends at school had gotten the implant and compared TiMERS, Mabel seemed curious  and excited for them but, mostly unphased. They’d gush about what they thought their soulmates would be like, when they would meet. They were single and not looking, now that they had TiMERs and Mabel was one of the few girls in that circle with a boyfriend. Whenever they’d ask Mabel when she was getting hers, he could hear her voice carry through homeroom. “I don’t know… I’m not really in a rush.” Though her voice lacked conviction he was a little relieved.

And as for Dipper? He didn’t want or need a TiMER. He already had a soulmate and they shared everything, including a birthday.  He certainly wasn’t in the market for another.  
  


* * *

 

When Mabel finally got around to asking for a TiMER she was 17. The Pines family was sitting at the table, enjoying dinner, and Dipper was about to scoop some mashed potatoes onto his fork when his sister had awkwardly cleared her throat.

“I was thinking that it would be a good idea to get a TiMER implant,” she stated out of the blue, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

To their credit, neither of their parents looked particularly surprised.  Dipper on the other hand, had nearly dropped his fork.

“Wait. You what?” He stammered, lowering his fork onto his plate. “I thought you didn’t want one of those.”

“I never said that.” She countered, glancing at Dipper like he had it all wrong. “Besides, Jordan’s parents already said it was okay if he got his. I was hoping he and I could both go together. They give a discount now for going in pairs!”

Jordan and Mabel had been dating for two and a half months. He was a nice enough guy, though Dipper didn’t exactly know him personally. The two had met in Mabel’s  Advanced Art II class and after being partnered for a project, began dating soon after. And while it seemed like TiMERs were catching on among the student body, Jordan didn’t have one.

Their mother sighed. "Honey, I understand your feelings but have you really thought this through? What’s the hurry?”

"Of course I have! I mean, what’s more important than love and finding the person you’re meant to be with? And TiMERs been out for years, and it’s totally safe. They have like, a billion testimonials about it. Plus they have a 98% approval rating. Besides, if something is out there that can tell me when I’m going to meet the person I’m meant to be with, it’s worth getting! And I’ll pay for it myself!”

Mabel’s words came out in a stream, rolling nonstop and sputtering everything in one large breath before gasping for air again. Dipper was still trying to figure out who had replaced his sister with a TiMER-loving clone.

“There is nothing more important in the world than love, sweetheart. But… part of the joy of finding love is falling into it. Getting to know the person, seeing them for who they are, and loving them completely. It’s called falling in love for a reason. I know it’s a little old fashioned now, but your father and I found each other just fine without a TiMER.”

“I’m not sure I approve,” His father chimed in. “It takes the romance right out of finding the person you’re meant to be with. It just doesn’t seem like you to want one of those, cupcake. Where’s the fun in knowing your future?”

His father had a point. There was a completely non-romantic aspect to it all.  All Mabel did  in her free time was read novels with heavy romance elements, doodle hearts in her notebooks, and watch as many mind-numbing rom coms as she could manage. It was unlike her to want one in some ways. Though Dipper had assumed in his youth that Mabel would be all aboard the TiMER train, the more he thought about it, the less he had been sure. He frowned. Had he just rationalized away the tiny voice in his head that had thought this might happen all along? The little part of him that thought Mabel might eventually give into her curious nature and want to know who her true love was in the end? Had he just accepted the outcome that he was the most comfortable with?

“You can still fall in love with a TiMER! It’s just- it’s like having a _guarantee_. That’s all.”

It was quiet at the table, and Dipper shifted awkwardly in his seat as his eyes moved from Mabel to their parents exchanging glances. Sure, she needed their permission because she was 17, but even if his parents said no, it’d just be a matter of time before she just got one on her own. Less than a year, really.

“Look, I know you guys probably think I’m not being serious, or that I’ll forget about it by next week but…I’ve thought about it a lot. It’s not about me and Jordan. It’s about me.  I just need to _know_.” The words hung from Mabel’s lips, and loomed over the dinner table. It was clear that this was really bothering her, and he hadn’t been expecting to see it written so plainly on her face.

The timer had existed for around seven years. That meant Mabel had seven years to toss this idea around in her head. It meant that if she was bringing it up now, after this long, she must have decided that it was something that was right for her.

“Mom, Dad,” Mabel bit her lip, her voice quiet. “ _Please_ let me do this? I’d really just feel better knowing. Even if it’s not Jordan that I’m supposed to be with. I just want to see whatever time shows up on the TiMER display. It- it would give me some peace of mind, to know that he’s out there somewhere and that I’ll meet him one day.”

His father sighed. Even before either of them had said anything, Dipper knew that resistance was futile. Their answer was going to be yes.

 

* * *

  
“Dipper?”

He didn’t have to look up from his book to know Mabel was looking at him. They were sitting on the couch, Mabel alternating her attention between her phone and the television. Her legs were draped over his lap and when he didn’t answer at first, she slid her bare feet underneath the side of his legs. He could feel how cool to the touch they were through his pants.

“Yeah?” He finished the paragraph he was reading and held the book in one hand, his finger holding his place between the pages.

“Will you come with me this weekend?”

“What, to get your TiMER? I thought you were going to go with Jordan?” His voice sounded more annoyed than he’d initially meant it to. He coughed. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel and ruin the moment.”

“We’re going together, but I’m kind of nervous.” Her voice squeeked a bit at her admission and she looked fretful.

Dipper’s gaze softened. He could have listed 50 different reasons why getting a TiMER was stupid but he didn’t. He could have told her to forget about the whole thing and spend the money on ice cream but he refrained.

“Hey, don’t be nervous. This dumb thing is supposed to give you peace of mind, right? Even if things turn out a little differently, it sounded like not knowing was upsetting you the most. You’re doing this so you’ll feel better. Just focus on that. It’ll be fine.”

Her eyebrows raised slightly at his echoing of her words. There was something that seemed to flicker behind her eyes but before Dipper could think about what it meant, Mabel broke eye contact, pulling up her knees and hugging them against her chest. Looking back at Dipper, her chin rested on her bare knees and she smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Yeah, you’re right. See, this is why I need you there, Brotato. You’ve got the moral support thing covered.”

Just then her phone buzzed in her hands, the humming sounding almost as loud as if Mabel had the volume turned up on her ringer.  Mabel glanced at the screen. “ It’s Jord. I’m gonna take this.” She pointed at the door, behind Dipper. Hopping to her feet she looped around behind the couch, the phone still vibrating as it continued to ring in her hands.

Well, looks like he had weekend plans. At best Mabel and Jordan would be bonafide soul mates, and she’d be thrilled about it. At worst they wouldn’t be, and Mabel would have another failed relationship under her belt, but this time with the promise of a new one in the horizon.

He exhaled through his nose and opened the book again, finding the passage where he’d left off when something warm pressed against his cheek. “Thanks again brobro. It makes me feel better knowing I’m not going alone.” She smiled, a real one this time, before bounding towards their porch to take the call.

Clearing his throat he scratched his cheek absentmindedly, fingers brushing the dusting of fuzz he had on his jawline and the spot where she’d given him a kiss on the cheek before he immersed himself in his book. After ten minutes of reading the same sentence over and over, Dipper gave up and headed to his room. The faint sound of Mabel’s voice through the front door followed him up the stairs. Her tone was filled with nervous energy and promise and it faded a bit more with each step until Dipper reached the landing and shut his door quietly behind him.


	2. Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Chapter 1 was written and posted in October of 2015. I got a kick in my ass and kept this thing going, despite the lag between chapters. Hope you enjoy it.

With his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie, Dipper let out a long exasperated sigh. For a few minutes he busied himself with picking at his frayed cuticles, swearing when he pulled on one bit of skin a little too enthusiastically and began to bleed a bit.

“Fuck,” he hissed. Dipper shoved the fingertip in question between his lips momentarily, the faint taste of blood on his tongue. Once again his eyes found their way back to Mabel, where she stood across the room, and Dipper removed his finger from between his lips and pushed his hands into his pockets. Mabel and Jordan were talking to a one of the employees at this TiMER location, looking exceptionally pleased with themselves. It was supremely annoying.

To top things off, the employees here actually called themselves ‘Matchmakers’, and somehow managed to do so without any trace of irony in their voices.

Coming here had been a mistake.

Dipper was great at being supportive of all of Mabel’s endeavors, even the questionable ones. Correction: _especially_ the questionable ones. But for some reason ever since last night he’d been battling with an especially uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt uneasy and anxious, especially since he still didn’t understand why Mabel felt so compelled to do this. His feelings of unease were so bad that he even tossed in a detour on their way to the TiMER place, incessantly insisting they stop for breakfast and pulling into the parking lot of a local cafe, even though they had both already eaten.

To her credit, his sister had given him a worried look but followed it with a gentle smile looping her arm through his as they stepped inside all the while lauding him for the suggestion and citing it as a good opportunity to pick something up for Jordan on the way there. Mabel had purchased two pastries, one for ‘each of her boys,’ and while it was a sweet gesture, something about it made Dipper want to scream.

He’d finished the pink frosted donut Mabel had bought for him in the car. Dipper had chosen to take an overly aggressive style when it came chewing while he did his best to keep his eyes on the road and not at Mabel. Even though he wasn’t looking at her directly, out of the corner of his eye he could see her watching him, could feel her gaze until her phone rang in her lap. Jordan had arrived first, and wanted to see how far away Mabel was.

“We’re almost there, I’ll see you in a minute,” she assured him before making gross kissy sounds into the receiver as they said goodbye.

Ugh.

The lights were too bright in here. The donut had been too sweet. Jordan was smiling way too much. Didn’t that idiot have any idea what was happening here? He looked so at ease as he filled out his paperwork, leaning over to whisper something to Mabel every now and then. This moron had no idea that he was close to potentially losing Mabel forever and he looked completely unfazed by the prospect.

Pulling a napkin from his pocket, he frowned once he noticed the sprinkles stuck to it before crumpling it in his hands. He wiped the residual sticky sweetness that stuck to his fingertips onto the hem of his hoodie and glanced around for a wastebin. The store itself reminded Dipper of an Apple Store but even more sterile- if that were possible. Everything was white, with the occasional accent of red that matched the store’s logo. The employees all wore red polo shirts with their names embroidered on them in big capital letters.

He was distracted from his task by the the back of Mabel’s head. Her chestnut hair swayed a bit, curls bouncing slightly as she nodded and spoke to the person who was helping her at the counter. She was probably picking out which stupid TiMER she was going to have to stare at for the rest of her life.

Surely a fun way to spend a Saturday.

“Hello there, is there something I can help you with? Do you have any questions? I’d be happy to assist you!”

It took Dipper a second to realize the perky voice and scripted lines were meant for him. One of the “Matchmakers” in the store was doing their rounds on the floor and must have decided, somewhat poorly, that Dipper was a choice person to talk to.

“Uh, no. I’m fine,” he turned to face the employee, his hands squeezing the napkin against the palm of his hand. “Though, I guess there’s one thing I wanted to ask.”

The Matchmaker looked genuinely excited that he was going to be asked a question.

It was kind of sad.

“You guys have a garbage can or something?”

The Matchmaker (his nametag read GEOFF) looked a little crestfallen and gestured to one behind one of the displays, tucked in a corner, white like everything else.

Ah what the hell, he was stuck here for a while, so Dipper figured he’d play along and feign interest.

“So… um, I’m not all read-up on this stuff. The idea is that when someone gets a TiMER, they get a countdown to the exact minute they are supposed to meet the person they’re meant for, right?”

“Well, that’s not -exactly- how it works.”

“Really?”

“It’s a common misconception. You see it counts down to the day you’re going to meet your match. Your TiMER will reach zero at midnight. The chime will only ever play twice. Once to let you know you’ve reached the day when you will be seeing your match. It will chime again when you lock eyes with the person you’re meant to be with, letting you know that you’re looking at your one. The second chime is much louder though. Keep that in mind.”

Admittedly it was a little bit different than what he thought it was going to be but equally as dumb, in his opinion. Did people really need this to tell them who they should date, love, or marry? And what was with the terminology. Your ‘one’? Could they be more obvious about preying on the lonely and love-hungry?

“How does it know who you’re supposed to end up with? I never really got that...”

“Hellooooo, Earth to Dipper. I’ve been calling you for a while. They’re ready for us.”

“Aw,” Geoff cooed, “Are you two getting your implant together? We get a lot of couples in here lately.”

“Wha?” Dipper blinked twice. “No man it’s-”

“Ha, that’s CRAZY TALK!” Mabel interrupted, her voice loud enough to echo in the vast expanse of the storefront and giving Geoff a playful shove. Geoff looked wide-eyed and stumbled back a step or two before straightening upright, looking between Dipper and Mabel a little confused as he rubbed his arm where he’d been hit.

“He’s my Brobro. With a capital Broski. B-R-O. My brother. My sib.”

Looking at her like she was being weirder than usual, Dipper sighed. “I think he’s familiar with the concept.”

“I’m actually getting mine with my boyfriend over there.”

“Young love! How exciting!”

Love? Did Mabel actually love Jordan? Dipper couldn’t remember her ever actually using the word before. The idea that he’d somehow overlooked that made his hands get clammy.

“Ah well, y’know,” she laughed, a blush forming on her cheeks before she caught sight of Jordan waving the two of them over.

“C’mon, Dip,” she began to tug him away from Geoff who wished her luck somewhere behind them as Mabel weaved through the crowd and stopped once she reached Jordan and the polo-wearing matchmaker who had been assisting them earlier.

“You must be the moral support I’ve heard so much about,” Kathy said with a smile and Mabel nodded before dropping his arm from her vice-like grip.

Yeah that’s me, Dipper thought to himself. Moral Support Pines.

“You all can follow me to the back and we’ll get started on the installation process.”

The back of the store was equally plain as the front, but instead of bright white the walls were painted a cool grey color. Several reclining seats were scattered around the space, with wide armrests that looked like they were meant to keep the arms in place. It reminded Dipper of a dentist’s chair only without the little water fountain thing on the side that they always told you to rinse and spit into.

There was a stool near where Mabel had been instructed to lie back and Dipper took a seat, doing his best to not be in the way but still remain as close to his sister as he was able to.

“My co-worker Jamie is going to help us with the process. This way we can outfit you both with your TiMER’s simultaneously for a truly memorable experience.”

Memorable? Man they were really milking this. They were 17, not 7. The employees didn’t really have to try so hard to crank up the cheesiness factor. They were already way past the point of no return, anyway.

“Are we all ready? I have your waivers signed, credit card information, and each of you filled out the personality matrix.”

They both nodded, exchanging nervous smiles with each other.

“I’ll just need you both to extend your dominant hand and rest it on the arm rest.”

Mabel placed her right arm against the rest and inhaled audibly. Each Matchmaker wielded what appeared to be a weird metal price-gun. It had a trigger, and the TiMER device was sticking out of the other end.

Mabel’s left hand immediately reached out for one of Dipper’s hands and squeezed it firmly. “Thanks. Y’know. For being here. It means a lot.”

“Now, this will only sting momentarily. Some people experience mild soreness around the implantation site for a day or so. It shouldn’t hurt more than a piercing.”

This seemed to ease her mind, and her grip on Dipper’s hand relaxed a bit. He offered her a lopsided smile and their eyes locked for a moment, and that’s when Dipper saw it. It was probably not noticeable to anyone else but Dipper knew Mabel better than anyone. She was nervous and a little scared.

“Alright here we go. You might want to look into each other’s eyes, you want to zero out together, don’t you?”

As if being pulled out of a daze Mabel’s eyes widened and she quickly turned her head away from Dipper and to the opposite direction immediately, facing Jordan’s waiting face. Her left hand still in his, he was left to clear his throat quietly and keep his eyes on her wrist as if his life depended on it. Looking anywhere else was probably a really bad idea.

It was a few seconds before there were two loud clicks, followed by both teenagers letting out a pained gasp. Jordan swore loudly, yanking his wrist off of the arm rest.

Geoff had mentioned the beeping would be loud, and Dipper was waiting for it as he gazed at Mabel’s wrist. The TiMER was there now, right across her pulsepoint. It was a thin strip, ovular, a light grey color and outlined faintly in pink.

As if on cue the display seemed to brighten slightly. There were blank spaces where the numbers would appear but he could see the lowercase d, h, m and s, ample space between each letter meant to represent days, hours minutes and seconds.

A faint beep came from the next chair over, and all heads turned to face the faint noise from Jordan’s glowing TiMER.

Jordan’s TiMER blinked before a countdown appeared.

**_921d, 14h, 36m, 19s._ **

Mabel’s gaze fell from Jordan’s confused face to her own timer, and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Wait, I think mine’s broken or something,” she spoke quickly, tapping lightly on the device. “Mine’s blank. Why is mine blank? There’s a warranty for this thing, right?”

Kathy looked sympathetic as she spoke slowly. “This happens occasionally. Blank TiMERs happen from time to time but given the popularity of the device these days, it’s really not a cause for concern. It just means that your one hasn’t gotten a TiMER yet. Once they get one, yours will begin counting down.”

“But… how long is that supposed to take?”

“It varies from person to person. Sometimes it’s only weeks or months… occasionally it’s longer than that.”

Holding her wrist with her left hand, Mabel didn’t lift her head to acknowledge the Matchmaker at all. The older employee looked at them quickly before making eye contact with her co-worker.

“We’ll just give you kids a minute.”

The room was silent for a while, the awkwardness hanging in the air above them heavily. Dipper sort of wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

“Mabel I- I’m so sorry.” Jordan began, his voice wavering a bit. “I really thought it was going to be you, or I’d have never agreed to this in the first place.”

“Hey no, it’s not your fault…” she spoke quietly, dropping both arms to her sides as she sat upright in the chair. “I’m really happy for you. I mean, you’re going to meet your one in a little over two years. That’s really, really, so great.”

Two years? They’d all be in college by then. It seemed like Jordan was destined to be with his college sweetheart. Whoever that person was.

“Maaaaaybe I should bring the car around front,” Dipper suggested awkwardly before standing and turning around to face the door behind him. It would have been a lie to say that part of him hadn’t hoped Mabel would stop him, ask him to stay, or even ask him to drag Jordan out of there with him so she didn’t have to be alone with him for another minute.

Instead Mabel gave him a little nod in the affirmative before he walked out of the room.

* * *

It had been nearly a half hour since he’d climbed into the car. Was that a long time? Dipper drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and watched the entrance to the store. Jordan had left around ten minutes prior.

He kept waiting for Mabel to follow suit, but she had yet to leave.

If he had to guess, there was probably a really awkward conversation that had taken place between Mabel and Jordan. The guy had left the store and well, he sort of looked sad? It was hard to say, really. It wasn’t like he had a raincloud following him back to his car or anything. From what Dipper could observe from his own parking spot was that Jordan looked slightly guilty at best, but whatever shitty feelings he might have had were sort of out done by the news he had received prior to Dipper’s quick exit.

That was really the only reason Dipper could imagine would leave Jordan sort of smirking at the inside of his wrist.

Dipper frowned and glanced at the LED clock display on the car stereo system. Mabel was pretty keen on this plan of hers. If her timer had actually shown a countdown, would she have been like Jordan who had dreamily gazed at it for a few moments before climbing into his truck and driving away?

How could anyone be that happy about someone they hadn’t even met yet? It was weird. Weirder to think his sister might’ve had a similar response. It was completely in the realm of possibility for Mabel to daydream about it.

It was irrelevant anyway. He shifted in the driver’s seat. It was probably a bad idea to leave her there by herself. Dipper decided that If she didn’t come out in 5 minutes he was going to go in and find her himself.

_Tap tap._

His head jerked toward the sound, and saw Mabel with one hand poised and prepared to tap against the passenger side window again while the other was resting on the handle expectantly.

He faltered briefly, noticing her eyes were red, but glanced down to press the button that prompted all the locks to unlock simultaneously. Opening the door she put her purse on the floor in front of her seat before climbing in after.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you come out.”

“It’s fine,” she shrugged. She made quick work of fastening the seat belt across her chest and slumping into her chair. After folding her arms across her chest she remained silent, staring out the window.

The drive back home wasn’t particularly long, but as silence filled the car it seemed unbearably long.

So Dipper attempted to do the only thing he could think of: gauge the atmospheric conditions surrounding current weather system Mabel.

He was facing low winds, cool temperatures, a distinct lack of eye-contact, watery eyes and crossed arms. Ah yes, the kind of storm front that either meant: I definitely don’t want to talk about it… or meant the complete opposite. Was this one of those times he was meant to ask her about it or not? Shit. Lately this was one of those things he was prone to misread the most. It wasn’t like there was a sibling handbook on this particular subject.

Plus there was the fact that he fled at the first opportunity he had. Truthfully he felt like Mabel and her boyfriend needed to talk things out without a third party observer but that didn’t change the fact that he felt even shittier now that he saw the crestfallen look on Mabel’s face.

“So I uh, saw Jordan leave a little while before you. How’d that go?”

“It went great considering he had the bright idea that we should stay together until graduation even though he knows I’m not the person he’s going to end up with.”

“He what?” Dipper gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Why?”

Her shoulders rose and fell quickly in a half shrug. “I don’t know. Guaranteed date to Prom? Not having to worry about trying? Wanting me to be his stand-in girlfriend before his soulmate decides to show up? All of the above, probably.”

There wasn’t much else to say about it, and Dipper clenched his teeth while focusing on his breathing. Clearly Jordan was an even bigger asshole than Dipper thought. Stupider too, if he had thought even for a fleeting moment that Mabel was going to agree to something like that.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” she responded quickly, voice flat while reaching to turn on the radio and Dipper winced at the quick way he was completely shot down.

“I just, need time to think and stuff. You know? But later, maybe? Okay?”

Later? Well he could live with later.

* * *

Tapping his finger against the side of his e-reader, Dipper’s eyes drifted to the ceiling. Off to the right, just left of the one window he had in his room was a slight crack in the paint just above his Nirvana poster that he’d never noticed before. Then again he couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so completely unable to concentrate on anything for more than five minutes. It was no wonder he’d apparently taken up a fascination with the walls. That crack had probably been there forever.

Occasionally Dipper glanced at the adjoining wall between his room and Mabel’s. After the terminally silent car ride back home earlier that afternoon, Mabel had headed straight upstairs and into her room, breezing past their mother as she cheerfully asked how things had went. Dipper had offered his mother a quick shake of his head and she seemed to read the look in his eyes since her response was a quiet ‘oh’, before frowning.

Mabel hadn’t left her room since then. Music loud enough to make the walls vibrate or even her TV with the volume maxed out while she watched her favorite unicorn movie or something would have been better than this. He almost preferred to be annoyed at having to listen to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic through their shared wall. It would have provided some sense of ease right about now.

The quiet was unsettling. He was unsettled. In part because he knew Mabel was upset but also partly because… he’d been relieved. That had made him feel like a huge asshole. Sure, Jordan was dumb and definitely not good enough for Mabel, and he was absolutely not someone Dipper wanted to have to call his brother-in-law… ever. Deep down he hadn’t been worried Jordan and Mabel were soulmates. Not really. He had a feeling today wasn’t going to pan out in that guy’s favor. He’d been ready for it all morning.

Dipper hadn’t been ready for the complete lack of any countdown on Mabel’s timer at all. None of them had been, really. But Dipper, ever the realist, had been fully anticipating some D-Day countdown to when Mabel was going to meet Mr. Right. Well, Mr. Right or whoever the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with was- the dude who was going to change everything, who would marry her and want to move her out of state or something and do the whole white-picket fence thing. He’d probably make her get one of those awful soccer mom haircuts and the idea of his sister being turned into some lame Stepford wife was enough to make him queasy.

Whoever this mystery person was, he would inevitably take his sister away. The sentence itself made Dipper feel like he had the emotional depth of his five-year-old-self. It was probably pathetic to admit that was what was really nagging at him, even if it was only to himself. It didn’t matter that they were almost adults. They were close, especially after that first summer in Gravity Falls. They were thick as thieves.

Though logically he knew that they were supposed to eventually go their separate ways and live their own separate lives- that was a while from now, right? No sense in rushing the process.

It was still hard for him to imagine his daily life without Mabel in it and they were almost in college. They were supposed to have a few more years before he was supposed to have a panic attack about this junk.

Looking at his watch he considered the time. It was after 12 AM. Though slight, there was a possibility that Mabel was still awake. Even the glimmer of a chance that she might be sitting alone in her room with however she was feeling stirred something within him. Unfortunately his strong point was rarely with his words. What was he supposed to say to her? He couldn’t possibly imagine what was going through her mind.

Being stuck with a case of foot-in-mouth syndrome was kinda his thing. He wavered back and forth for a minute before sighing with resignation.

Making a fist, Dipper tapped his knuckles against the wall softly. Two quick knocks, a slight pause, another two quick knocks. It was their code once their Dad moved his office to the den and they stopped sharing the room that Dipper was currently holed up in. It’s how they could tell if the other was awake or not. If it was okay to sneak over. If the other one was alright. It was a sort of all-purpose knock.

It wasn’t the most creative knock code in existence but he was pretty sure that’s because he invented it.

He was met with silence from Mabel’s side of the wall.

Of course, she must be asleep. Truthfully he had been trying to give her space, time to go through whatever she might be feeling. Sure, a few years ago Sweatertown was her coping mechanism- but as they got older her place of refuge seemed to expand outside of the sweaters she wore so often when they were younger. Now she was all about holing herself up in her room- a technique Dipper sometimes employed as well. He had wanted to be there for her but didn’t want to insert himself and interrupt a Mabel moment of quiet introspection.

Sliding out of bed, he took a few long strides over to his desk to turn off the lamp when two rapid knocks could be heard through the wall, a pause, and two more knocks following after.

Without faltering he moved towards his door, lamp long forgotten. Before he knew it he was in front of bedroom her door and knocking out of habit despite the fact that his hand was firmly planted around her doorknob and slowly pushing the lilac colored door open without being formally invited in.

“I can’t believe you used that lame knock,” the corner of her mouth upturned slightly but it was a blink and you’d miss it sort of smile. If he hadn’t been looking at her directly, Dipper would never have noticed the way she had faltered a bit.

“Yeah well, I’m a creature of habit,” he admitted, closing the door behind him.

All the lights were off, save for the small lamp beside her bed. In the low-light he managed to not trip over a pair of pink Chuck Taylors and unceremoniously sat beside her near the edge of her bed.

“I was wondering where that hoodie had gone,” he gestured to the hunter green hoodie she was currently wearing, her knees tucked underneath the hem of it so that only her toe-socked feet poked out from the front. The sleeves were a little too long for her, and the cuffs grazed over her knuckles.

“Mom probably folded it in with my laundry a few weeks back.” She paused and sat upright a bit, her bare legs popping out of the bottom of the hoodie, looking apologetic. “Did you want it back? I didn’t mean to st-”

“Nah, it’s fine. I’m not in short supply or anything.” His hand reached up to tug at the drawstrings near her neck, making the opening of the hood pull over her eyes and only leaving Mabel’s button nose and mouth visible.

“That was completely underhanded!”

After crying out dramatically with her vision now mostly obscured, Mabel flailed slightly, making a few distressed grunts before flopping over on her side. Laying on her right arm had caused her sleeve to bunch up a bit, the TiMER on her wrist coming into view. Her head was resting against the side of Dipper’s knee, only the back of his hoodie visible to him from his vantage point. He kind of wished he could see her face, but he was mostly just glad she seemed to be in better spirits.

“So… are we gonna talk about your latest body mod?” His hand reached out and he tapped his finger lightly against the blank display on her wrist.

“Not really the same as my ear piercings but, I guess we can call it that.”

Mabel gripped her right wrist with her left hand and was silent for a moment. Dipper observed as her thumb slid over the TiMER, chipped glittery nail polish on her nail shining a little in the dim lamplight. They sat in silence for a minute or so before Mabel flopped on her back, lifting her head up so she could push the hood past her forehead and rest her head on Dipper’s thigh. The motion had been so abrupt that it caught him off guard.

“Stupid dumb thing,” she muttered from underneath her messy tousled hair. It was sticking up in several different directions, with her bangs creating a brown mane around her face.

He had no real response for that which didn’t involve some variation of ‘I told you so’ or ‘I thought it was dumb from the start’. He kept his mouth shut because despite generally being a wise-ass he wasn’t into acting like a douchebag asshole to his sister.

“You know, turns out the whole not having a countdown thing isn’t as uncommon as I initially thought?” She tapped the screen idly. “I guess this happens sometimes and I just didn’t do as much research as I could have. It’s pretty common in our age group and with people who are Mom and Dad’s age or older.”

“That makes sense,” he offered. It stood to reason that older generations of people either felt like you didn’t need one… like their parents had mentioned to Mabel when she’d first asked. Or there was a tendency with people who were their grandparents age to have a general skepticism and distrust of technology in general.

What was at least kind of lucky for Mabel was that with the TiMER becoming so popular and so synonymous with what was the cultural norm it was probably an inevitability that whoever was meant for her would get a TiMER eventually. Then, because both halves of the match would be outfitted with a TiMER, their countdown would start.

The only reason hers wasn’t on was because she was waiting for this other person who was out there to get a TiMER implanted.

“If it were you getting one, you’d have read all about this thing. You’d have known all the ins and outs of how it works exactly. I just… got ahead of myself.”

Dipper let out a noncommittal sound and pushed his fingers through his wavy hair. “Maybe? But the truth is I barely understand how that thing works.”

“Really? But… I saw you talking with one of the reps at the store today.”

“Eh, I wasn’t asking so much as that guy was just sort of telling me a bunch of things I didn’t entirely understand.” He paused. “Logically, yeah I get that it’s supposed to involve tracking and analyzing different hormone levels coupled with compatibility based off some survey thing they make everyone take, and some other stuff I don’t entirely understand.”

“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ you’re going to add somewhere.”

“But I don’t need to get the science of it, I’m fine with not knowing it. It’s not for me and I’m fine with that… But I guess I just don’t understand why you need one. That’s what has me stumped.”

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Dipper, I already explained this the other day,”

“Yeah I remember, the whole speech about how you just need to know, right? But why do you need this thing on your wrist at all? Because you need some fancy digital watch to sound an alarm when you lock eyes with your soulmate?”

She frowned.

“Besides, It’s just making you feel like shit. I can drive you to the store tomorrow, we can just get it removed.”

“I- I can’t do that,” she pulled her wrist to her chest, obscuring the timer from Dipper’s field of view.

“Why not?”

“Because I may not know everything about how TiMERS work but the lady at the store told me that once you get it removed you can’t get it again. It’s a one time-thing.”

“That sounds pretty convenient for their business model,” he scoffed.

“Removing it damages the implantation site or whatever. It can’t get accurate reads the second time around. So I’d be stuck without a TiMER forever.”

“That doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world, Mabel. You’d rather pay an indefinite monthly fee for however long it takes for this thing to possibly turn on? There’s no guarantee even if you keep it that this mystery guy is ever going to get one. What if you never get a countdown at all?”

“You really don’t get it,” she sat up, crossing her legs beneath her and shoving her hands into the pouch pocket in front of the hoodie. “There might not be a guarantee this other person is ever going to get a TiMER- but if I get mine removed, it’s an absolutely certainty that I’ll never find out.”

Dipper was silent for a moment, glancing down at where Mabel had been resting her head against his leg, regretful that something he’d said made her sit upright and create distance between them. He looked at her then, a little surprised that there was something behind her gaze that he couldn’t read properly.

Clearly she was kind of annoyed with him- he’d recognized Mabel’s irritated face, the one she gave him when he was kind of ticking her off… that was a pretty familiar one. This was a little more than irritation. It bothered him that it was something he couldn’t place.

“Having no guarantees isn’t the worst thing, you know. I’d just hate seeing you worked up over that thing when it that might never give you an answer at all.”

“Not everyone is like you, Dipper. Not everyone thinks they’re too good for a TiMER.”

“Hey, I never said that.”

Mabel rolled her eyes and pressed her feet against the peach carpet that covered her bedroom floor. He blinked once and she was standing in front of him, his hoodie eye-level with his face, making him tilt his head up slightly to look at Mabel properly.

Okay yeah, she looked sorta mad.

“You didn’t have to say it. You think it’s stupid, I get it. You think you don’t need one, and that’s fine, because we’re different. We always have been, and that’s always worked for us. To our benefit, even. I- I just-”

Dipper noticed her breathing was a little erratic and shaky, and it was when she was sniffling that he noticed her brown eyes were wet, tears threatening to spill over on her face. It was funny how nothing made him panic quite like his sister crying, especially now. Mabel wasn’t a cry baby. Her go-to reaction was never tears.

Shit, if she was crying it was bad.

“It’s not stupid. I could never think you’re stupid.” He stood up quickly and hugged her without hesitation. He could feel Mabel’s breath through his shirt. Warm and choppy like the Pacific Ocean.

“I don’t need you to think this is the best idea in the whole world.” She sniffed again, her arms looping around him to hug him back. “I don’t even need you to like it. I just need you to be there for me even if you think it’s dumb.”

“I’m sorry,” he exhaled slowly. “I didn’t mean to make this harder. I just… hate seeing you sad.” Understatement of the century probably, and here he was, with Mabel crying in his arms, her tears forming damp spots on his shirt. If he hated seeing her sad he was doing a lousy job fixing things. He wasn’t sure if she was crying because of his idiotic reaction or maybe because she hadn’t quite let all these feelings out from earlier today.

He’d have been lying to himself if he wasn’t hoping for the latter instead of the former.

“You know, it’s a good thing I just so happen to be excellent at the whole reliable-always-there-for-you brother thing. I might have been a little off my game today. Can I get a do-over?”

“No can do. It’s too late for that,” she murmured against his chest.

Dipper’s expression wilted instantly.

Pulling her face from his chest and untangling her arms from around him, Mabel wiped a sleeve against her cheek before unfurling a smile after looking at his distressed expression.

“I mean I can’t. Since _technically_ it was yesterday, and today is pretty band new. You don’t need a do over.”

Suddenly Dipper remembered how to breathe again.

“Mabel, as long as this is what you want, and you’re happy with it, then I’m all in.”

“Put it out of your mind, bro. You’ve been brothering pretty solidly for the past 17 years.” She punched him in the arm gently. “You’ve got this.”

Reaching out for her right wrist, Dipper glanced at the TiMER, the skin around it was still tinged pink and he imagined it was probably still sore or something. He glanced at the display, a series of 0’s that spanned from one side to the other.

Uncertainty seemed to bloom within him but he put it out of his mind.

Maybe there were just some things he might never completely know.TiMERs and Mabel’s fixation with having one? He hadn’t figured it out yet, but he figured out he didn’t really need to know every question to understand the answer.

“Yeah, I do.” he smiled, tugging her wrist slightly so he could pull his puffy-eyed sister into a reassuring hug.

Their arms wrapped around each other as the analog Sailor Moon clock on Mabel’s wall continued to tick on.


End file.
